Foliage, lumberjacks and Marvelous Mutts at Shawnee Timber Festival

Friday

Oct 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM

The foliage of fall is coloring the Poconos, but it doesn't last long. One good way to spend time outdoors is to plan a visit to Shawnee Mountain this weekend to immerse you and your family in the colors, scents and crisp air during Shawnee Mountain Ski Area's Autumn Timber Festival.

JOHN WARCHOL

The foliage of fall is coloring the Poconos, but it doesn't last long.

One good way to spend time outdoors is to plan a visit to Shawnee Mountain this weekend to immerse you and your family in the colors, scents and crisp air during Shawnee Mountain Ski Area's Autumn Timber Festival.

"Last year's event was a big success as we were blessed with sunny skies, pristine fall weather and strong attendance," said Jim Tust, administrative manager and coordinator for Shawnee Mountain's summer and fall events.

Tust said that in one form or another, the autumn festival is the longest running event, dating to 1985. "The original name of the event was the Shawnee Lumberjack Festival. Then in 2006 to 2009, the Lumberjack Fest was combined with the former Shawnee Balloon Fest, which was dropped by Shawnee Inn and named the Timber and Balloon Festival with all activities here at Shawnee Mountain."

Tust explained that the hot-air balloons were a big draw but had too much trouble launching from the base of Shawnee Mountain with too many flights being canceled.

"Therefore, in fall of 2010, all balloon activity was dropped, and the event still featuring lumberjack shows was again renamed the Autumn Timber Festival," Tust said.

Last year, Shawnee Mountain also added a canine show to the mix, which Tust said was well received. "Last year's canine show was the Ultimate Air Dogs. This year it's The Marvelous Mutts, which we feel will be even more showlike and entertaining," Tust said.

Nadja Palenzuela, owner and trainer of half of the performers of The Marvelous Mutts, said that show was established in 2011. "I have been performing with most of these dogs since 2007 with other performance teams. Since establishing The Marvelous Mutts, we have performed over 200 shows," Palenzuela said. Kara Gilmore is the other owner, trainer and performer.

"The dogs will be performing in agility and freestyle flying disc. Agility is an obstacle course for dogs. The dogs run as fast as they can, and they race against each other for audience applause. The dogs don't care who wins, but the audience always seems to have a favorite," Palenzuela said.

The Marvelous Mutts have two groups of dogs — small and large — and they run during different shows, so the audience always sees new dogs. The Frisbee dogs are always a crowd favorite.

"The dogs flip and fly through the air, each with their own routine choreographed to music. The crowd goes nuts over the Frisbee dogs," Palenzuela said.

Not only do The Marvelous Mutts provide fun and entertainment, but they provide a passionate message about pet adoption, according to Palenzuela. All of the dogs have been adopted from shelters or rescues.

"We adopt dogs that are usually in shelters or with rescue groups because they are way too energetic for the average pet home. These dogs, more often than not, just need something to do. We give them a job and lots of love and the security of a forever home. Training is as much fun as performing with these dogs. They love what they do, and we have fun playing with them," Palenzuela said.

Another main feature of the festival is the Timber Team lumberjack shows.

"The team consists of four world-class lumberjacks and a showman announcer. The competitions demonstrate all the major timber sport disciplines such as buck sawing, ax chopping, ax throwing, pole climbing, log rolling and chain-saw events," Tust said. The shows, which run three times a day, combine folklore, comedy and logging history.

In addition to The Marvelous Mutts and the Timber Team, there will be chain-saw sculptures; a woodturning artist; children's activities, including magic and juggling shows, the Sue Wee pig races; food and craft vendors; and live music by the Cramer Brothers Band and the Lost Ramblers Bluegrass Band.

One of the highlights of the festival, according to Tust, is the chair-lift rides. "The ride is 3,000 feet to the top of Shawnee Mountain, up and back on our newest lift, the Tomahawk Express."

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